“I have watched Satnam grow up before my eyes and I am so proud of the many sacrifices and the hard work he has put in over the years.

“Not only on the court and in the classroom, but the enormous amount of time spent away from his family as well.”

Mavericks’ owner, Mark Cuban, highlighted Satnam’s physique was exactly what they were looking for and expressed high hopes for the young player, weighing 290 pounds.

Cuban said: “What we really liked about him was when he came in here, he really could shoot the ball. He was one of the better 3-point shooters that we brought through.

“He’s not the quickest guy going. But there’s a lot of guys that have made a living in this league that weren’t fast or quick that could block shots, protect the rim, bang and hit an open look. He’s going to get that shot.”

He will hope to follow in the footsteps of the Canadian-born Sim Bhullar, who was the first player of Indian origin to play in an NBA game for Sacramento Kings on April 7, 2015.

With Mavericks’ previous success in bringing China’s Wang Zhizhi from the D-League into the NBA, Satnam’s prospects are looking pretty good.

Satnam will tip-off his burgeoning career by playing for the Mavericks’ Summer League in Las Vegas in July 2015. He will then join the D-League’s Texas Legends, affiliated with Mavericks, when the season starts in November 2015.

Scarlett is an avid writer and pianist. Originally from Hong Kong, egg tart is her cure for homesickness. She loves music and film, enjoys travelling and watching sports. Her motto is “Take a leap, chase your dream, eat more cream.”